134 Birds of Colorado 



Genus iEGIALITIS. 



Bill of varying size ; tail never reaching half the length of the wing, 

 hardly graduated ; webbing of toes rather variable ; with only one, or 

 an incomplete, black bar across the chest. 



A considerable genus of wide distribution ; three species and one 

 subspecies are common in the United States, and two of these, ^. meloda 

 circumcincta (the Belted Piping Plover), and ^. nivosa (the Snowy 

 Plover), should occur in Colorado. The former is a common bird of the 

 Mississippi Valley and has been taken at Cheyenne, and is recorded 

 by Dawson (99) from Julesburg ; it is well known in Nebraska. The 

 latter is common in Utah, and was found nesting by Goss in south-west 

 Kansas. Both are included in the key. 



Key to the Species. 



A. Inner and outer toes webbed to the second joint ; bill short, 



black and orange in colour. JE. semipalmata. 



B. Web only between the middle and inner toe to the first joint. 



a. Bill short and stubby, black and orange ; a narrow black 



collar across the fore-neck, JE. circumcincta. 



b. Bill slender and black, no collar, merely a patch of dusky 



on either side of chest. JE. nivosa. 



Semipalmated Plover, ^gialitis semipalmata. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 274— Colorado Record— Cooke 97, pp. 68, 201. 



Description. — Adult — Above brownish-grey, below pm-e white ; a 

 black ring round the fore-neck, bordered above by a white half-collar 

 on the back of the neck continuous with the white throat below ; front 

 of the face black, with a white patch across the forehead ; wing chiefly 

 dusky, with white on the secondaries and coverts ; tail mostly white- 

 tipi^ed, out«r-feathors nearly all white ; iris hazel, eyelids bright 

 orange, bill black, orange at base ; legs pale flesh. Length 7'10 ; wing 

 4-75; tail 2-3; culmen -52; tarsus -95; toes webbed to the second 

 joint. 



In winter the black on the head and neck is replaced by the brown 

 of the back ; young birds have the feathers of the upper-parts edged 

 with bufly. 



Distribution. — Breeding chiefly from Labrador to Alaska ; south in 

 winter to the Gulf coast and southern California, and thence to the 

 West Indies, Chile and Patagonia, 



The Semipalmated Plover is a rare straggler on migration in Colorado. 

 It was obtained at Loveland by H. G, Smith, May 6th, 1890, and at 

 Grand Lake, Middle Park, in the fall by Carter. There is an example 



